The Food of Tuscany Recipes and Reflections on Tuscan Cooking Traditional Italian Recipes from Florentine & Tuscan Cooking.

Tuscan cuisine is appreciated in he world for its fine natural and flavourful ingredients, it's a typical expression of the Mediterranean diet, considered among others, the most wholesome and tasty, Olive oil, pasta, fish and first choice meat. With this few basic ingredients the tuscan local chefs can create exceptional dishes. Among the produce of which Tuscany is of some importance is white truffles, a much appreciated variety. Other ingredients such as wild asparagus and herbage also contribute to the rediscover of simple flavourful dishes (pappa al pancotto, ribollita, hearty vegetable soups), where olive oil is the star ingredient, strictly bought from the local olive press.

That easygoing Italian way of life that visitors find so alluring and desirable, la dolce vita, is indisputably linked to the Italians' instinctive knowledge of how to drink and eat well.

In today's society, many ancient culinary traditions and characteristics of Italy's distinct regional cuisines are still commonplace, even more so here than other parts of Europe.

Traditional recipes passed down through the family are worth their weight in gold. The dinner table is the scene of many conversations, debates and decisions; favorite foods evoke happy memories, good health and comfort.

Everyone who has ever been to Italy has fallen in love with its history, landscapes, art, architecture, and, of course, its FOOD! Even those who have never been to Italy already know Italian food in some shape, taste and form - who has never eaten pizza or spaghetti pasta?

Actual visitors to Italy, however, will have discovered that the Italian food they know from back home does not taste, and sometimes even look, the same in Italy.

First, each region has its own culinary specialties and own versions of a common Italian dish. Something as commonplace as a pizza is made differently in Naples, Rome, Florence and Milan!

And second, once you've tasted some of the regional dishes in Italy, you'll want to discover what makes them particularly good, or different, from what you've tasted before so that you can recreate that dish once you're back home.

Here you can find traditional recipes from Tuscany with the rest of the world who surfs the Internet for interesting and new dishes to prepare.

An Introduction to Tuscan Cuisine: Pecorino Cheese, Olive Oil  An introduction to the food of Tuscany, highlighting key ingredients, traditional dishes and desserts, and cities to visit.
http://www.suite101.com/content/exploring-italian-food-a37260 

While the language of the Etruscans may have all but disappeared, their earthy cuisine lives on in the quintessentially Italian region of Tuscany. Italy is one part of the world where the saying "eat locally" suits most folks. Each region has its own unique cuisine, and Tuscany is a good starting point for exploring the best in Italian food.

Basic Ingredients
A look at the Tuscan countryside reveals some of the key ingredients in local cooking: olive groves with their silvery sheen, fairytale forests of chestnut trees, hillsides blanketed in grape vines, angelic sheep lolling among ruins, fragrant rosemary and sage bushes lining gardens.

Tuscan cooking is simple and seasonal, without the heavy sauces found in other regions. Eschewing butter, Tuscans use olive oil generously for cooking, dressing salad, dipping bread, and flavoring soups. Indeed, olive oil is often the star of the gastronomic show, and Tuscan oils are highly prized.

Florentine Cuisine Florentine cuisine: first courses Lasagne al Forno - Lasagna. If you order lasagne in a restaurant in Tuscany you will be served something along these lines
www.aboutflorence.com/florentine-cuisine.html

http://www.tuscanycuisine.com/